Girls Like Pirates, Too

By admin On July 28, 2010 Under DVD Players

These days when you think of pirates, you probably think about sexy pirate costumes you see at Halloween. While there really were famous female pirates such as Anne Bonny and Mary Reade, most pirates were men. The Golden Age or Piracy peaked between 1690 and 1730 for several reasons. There were lots of ships to attack — those carrying slaves from Africa to the Americas, as well as ships transporting sugar, rum and other goods from the Americas to Europe. Luxury goods going from Europe to the American Colonies often had high tariffs. In order to avoid these high taxes, many American “businessmen” who resold the goods on the black market were eager to buy these luxuries from pirates because it was actually cheaper than buying direct from England and other countries!

Many things we associate with pirates today really are historically accurate:

Flags: The Jolly Roger is thought to have come from joli rouge (pretty red), a French description of the black, white, and red banners flown by early privateers. The flags were meant to strike mortal terror in the hearts of the pirate’s intended victims so they often featured skull and crossbones, daggers, or bleeding hearts.

Parrots: Pirate ships didn’t necessarily have resident parrots that shrieked, “Polly want a cracker,” but pirates did often capture these beautiful birds in order to sell them. Can’t you just imagine yourself (or the special lady in your life) in a pirate wench costume with a brilliantly colored parrot as a pet?!

Hooks and Peg Legs: Piracy was dangerous and pirates often lost limbs in battle or accidents. Two illustrious fictitious characters have reinforced the idea that many pirates had missing limbs — Captain Hook from “Peter Pan” and Long John Silver from “Treasure Island.”

If you’re looking for a fun Halloween costume or theme for your next party, think pirates! No other time can you dress up in a lady pirate costume or as Jack Sparrow and greet everyone with a tankard of ale in one hand and a cutlass in the other? Ahoy matey!